


Life During and After Glass Axe

by Arika_Ito



Series: Glass Axe [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, DimigardWeek2020, F/M, Spoilers for Fic, post fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27159872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arika_Ito/pseuds/Arika_Ito
Summary: Dimigard WeekDay 1: LongingDay 2: ScarsDay 3: MercyDay 4: NicknamesDay 5: PastDay 6: MasksDay 7: TearsDay 8: ForgivenessDay 9: Free Day
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Series: Glass Axe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960393
Comments: 12
Kudos: 64
Collections: Dimigard Week





	1. Day 1: Longing

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS!!!
> 
> All these works will be set in the Glass Axe Universe where there will be spoilers for Part 4. It is set post Glass Axe fic, which I realized would be an issue given the fact we aren't even halfway done with Part 4. Oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Edelgard is curled into Dimitri’s side, pressed against his body as his arm rests on her. She missed this. She missed hearing him breathe and mumble in his sleep. She didn’t think she’d ever get to experience this again. His love.

She should sleep, but it’s just one of those nights where her mind won’t turn off. Edward and Alexandria are sleeping in another room and Edelgard is tempted to go check on them but if Dimitri wakes up and she isn’t there, well, he already panicked once. Besides, she wants to be here when he eventually wakes up. She treasures these quiet moments where she stays in bed with him.

She reaches for his hand, spotting the gold band on it. Edelgard had hers around her neck like a necklace. She lost the necklace he gave to her years ago. She’s pretty sure Thales ripped it off her neck and laughed at her as he threw it away into the darkness, wearing her uncle’s face.

She enjoyed cutting his head off. For all the pain that he had caused her and her family and all his victims across Fodlan, death was too easy for him.

She feels the rough calluses of his hand as ridges lead to his fingers. She presses a kiss to it, resting her head against his firm chest. She traces meaningless patterns on his chest; he sleeps bare-chested now and she can feel the heat pulsating from his body. If she ever got cold, she could just burrow into him for warmth. He certainly enjoyed those nights.

Dimitri murmurs in his sleep, his arm tightening around her. Despite being fully asleep, he pulls her on top of him, her hands squished between her body and his. It’s always been so easy for him to move her around like that. She knew she was strong, but Dimitri could move her like she was nothing in his arms.

Alexandria certainly liked it when he threw her in the air as he reliably caught her. Edward was more attached to the ground, but even he enjoyed climbing on top of Dimitri’s shoulders to view the world from a different angle.

Dimitri buries his nose into her hair, sighing contentedly. Even though Dimitri was right there, Edelgard longed for the years they were apart, wishing that they had been together.

He should have been there when she gave birth. Instead, it was just her, Rhea, and Hubert as she screamed in the dungeons, sobbing for Dimitri as her two children arrived bloody and crying in the dark. He should have been there for their first laugh. Hubert described it to her as a delighted sound, realizing that they could make noises like that for their own happiness.

He should have been there for when they first crawled. Even she wasn’t there, recovering from the Blood Reconstruction surgery. Hubert painted the picture for her, describing her children rolling around on their bellies and crying when they got stuck.

He should have been there when they first walked. It was Edward who first walked and then Alexandria, who didn’t want to be left behind. She was resting as she watched her two children crawl around her bedroom. Edward relied on a chair to pull himself up and tumbled over when he moved away. He should have been there for their first words, which, gallingly enough, was Hubie. He should have been there. But it wasn’t his fault they were apart. It was hers.

She chose to follow Hubert. She chose to believe that Hubert had her best interests at heart. And he did, but the people feeding him information did not have hers. She wanted to see her father one last time before he died. But she wasn’t able to. The recovery from the blood reconstruction took too long and her father passed months before she could walk. She had gone with Hubert for nothing. She had given birth in a dungeon for nothing. She lost years of her life for nothing. She was kept apart from Dimitri for nothing.

And despite her best instincts, she was going to do her best to make sure they were never separated again.

“Are you alright?” Dimitri asks, exhausted, his eyes barely drifting awake. He presses a kiss to her hair, squeezing her hand. “It’s still early, isn’t it?” Edelgard rests her chin on his chest, watching him blink himself awake.

“It is,” Edelgard confirms, pressing a soft kiss against his lips before pulling away. This new Fodlan they were leading. It was tiring. Edelgard had no desire to be in a position of power again, but she found herself drawn to it. She wanted Fodlan to be a better place for her children. Dimitri and the others supported her ideas.

It wasn’t what she initially wanted, but they needed her. “We don’t need to be awake yet,” Edelgard responds, turning to rest her head back down, her finger drawing patterns in his skin. Dimitri nods contentedly as he drifts back to sleep, his hand curled protectively on her back. Every part of her body is pressed against his.

“Love you,” Dimitri mumbles, his eyes drifting closed. His breathing evens out as he falls back asleep. His head moves, trying to find the best angle on his pillow, resting contentedly.

“I love you,” Edelgard murmurs, hearing his heartbeat thump steadily. She would not lose him again. Her worst dreams were always with him leaving her, realizing that she reflected the monster the Agarthans turned her into.

She started the war that ravaged Fodlan. It was recovering mightily, but there were thousands of soldiers who died under her orders. She had done her best to make sure it was Dimitri who killed her in the end and not anyone else. Because that was what she wanted to die, she wanted to die by his hand.

But he subverted her expectations and saved her. He chose not to kill her. He chose to love her. She didn’t deserve happiness, not like this.

But he still loved her, and despite how hard she fought to keep her feelings hidden away, she still loved him.


	2. Day 2: Scars

Edelgard sighs while sitting in Dimitri’s lap. She rolls out her shoulders, stretching her body out. It’s late at night and everyone is in their rooms, sleeping. Except for them. “Is everything okay?” Dimitri asks curiously, watching Edelgard squirm in his lap, trying to get comfortable.

She shakes her head, getting out of Dimitri’s lap. She cracks her back by getting on the floor and twisting until he can hear her joints pop. “I’m having one of those days,” she grumbles, reaching over so she can touch her toes. She falls short, sighing as she grasps her calves. “I used to be more flexible,” Edelgard mutters, trying to stretch further.

“What’s wrong?” Dimitri asks again, watching her stretch her limbs. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Edelgard looks up at him, pursing her lips. “There is….” She hesitates, getting off the ground. “This is just one of those days where everything hurts,” she explains quietly. “Lysithea and I have compared notes- even though both our crests have been removed, there are still some physical side effects that haven’t gone away. One of them is body stiffness and general aches and pains.”

“Meaning?” Dimitri raises an eyebrow, looking at his wife.

“Can you massage my shoulders? And everywhere, just in general? It helps with the pain,” Edelgard bites her lip, not looking at him. She threads her hands in her lap, sitting on the bed beside him.

“Of course,” Dimitri nods eagerly. He’s seen the heavy scarring on her body. He can imagine that some days they can be uncomfortable, especially given what she endured.

Edelgard smiles shyly, and Dimitri gets off the bed to allow Edelgard to rest on the soft material. Dimitri plants both knees over her and digs his thumbs under the groove of her shoulders. She groans, sighing contently as Dimitri rubs circles into her flesh. He can feel the tough scars underneath her dress as he focuses his attention on her shoulder blades, feeling the stiff knots in her back.

He concentrates on her shoulders, releasing the tension in them. Edelgard turns her head so she can rest while facing the wall. When her shoulders go completely slack, he stops. “Good?” Dimitri asks softly, as Edelgard nods. He bites his lip, he could easily press his thumbs into her shoulders but for the back, the material of her dress is in the way.

“Do you need me to take off my dress?” Edelgard inquires after Dimitri doesn’t move for a moment. Dimitri assents and Edelgard pushes herself off the bed to remove her dress, reaching for the hem near her thighs. She has a dreamy look on her face, revealing the exhaustion that lay underneath her skin.

She’s wearing a simple brassiere and shorts and collapses back onto the bed after Dimitri slings the dress over the chair. Dimitri focuses his attention back onto her back, rooting out the knots and massaging them to release the tension. This takes quite some time because, despite Edelgard’s smaller frame, she holds a lot of stress in her tiny body.

Dimitri moves down her back, reaching her hips and the soft skin of her bottom. It’s an appetizing sight, despite the many scars that mar her pale skin. His cock twitches at the thought and he shakes his head. Edelgard deserved to rest, not to be the focus on his lust for her.

He focuses on her thighs, feeling the firm muscle underneath. Edelgard groans, satisfied, as Dimitri digs his fingers into her firm legs. He takes apart her calves, feeling the taut muscles. He rubs circles into her feet and Edelgard giggles, his fingers scraping the skin at the bottom of her soles.

“Good?” Dimitri asks, running a finger over a particularly large scar on her back. He’s seen the scars on Lysithea. She fared far worse than Edelgard when it came to the Crest Implantation experiments. As she described it, the experiments on her were used to see if someone could survive with dual crests and not just the implantation procedure. But he’s never going to get used to the scars on Edelgard’s body.

El nods, but the words out of her mouth are completely unexpected. “They aren’t very pretty, are they?” She asks quietly, feeling the scar that Dimitri was rubbing. “I don’t look forward to explaining to Alexandria or Edward how I got these,” she laments, looking at Dimitri wistfully.

“They’re beautiful,” Dimitri responds automatically, pressing a kiss to a scar on Edelgard’s shoulder. “The children will understand, we will just need to explain it to them properly.” He kisses another scar on her back and then another. “They’re a part of you now and they’ll be a part of our family.” He has his own scars, a result of the many battles he’s endured.

He watches Edelgard get settled once again, resting on her stomach. He has an idea as he sucks a mark on Edelgard’s shoulder. She’s already lectured him many times about leaving marks on her neck for everyone to see. She adores him, but there are some things that she would like to keep private in the bedroom. “I’ll show you how beautiful I think they are,” he vows gently.

With Edelgard’s body slack on the bed, Dimitri kisses every single scar he can find on her back and her legs. It might mean that he gets to kiss the soft flesh of her inner thighs, which his cock likes the thought of very much, but she doesn’t need to know that. He ends up at her ankles, kissing the small ones that loop around her delicate feet.

Edelgard watches him the entire time, smiling softly as he continues his mission of kissing nearly every inch of Edelgard’s body. She needs to know how lucky he is to have her in his life and how much he loves her. She knows, but he doesn’t think that he knows how much he adores her truly.

She flips over onto her back, presenting her front side to him. “I love you,” he says calmly, pressing a kiss to both of her collarbones. TWSiTD left no part of her skin untouched when they implanted the Crest of Flames into her, which means that he gets to kiss the underside of her breasts. She giggles, leaning away from him as he holds her hips, kissing her stomach and the top side of her thighs. She squirms when he kisses the soft flesh of her inner thighs. How tempting it was to go even further. 

She rests on her back and Dimitri joins her, his forearm resting by her head as he traces circles into the soft part of her stomach. “Feeling better?” He asks, pressing another kiss to her shoulder. El nods and kisses him, cupping her hand to the back of his neck. He’s happy, he really is.


	3. Day 3: Mercy

Edelgard hums to herself, twirling in circles in the piano room. Her heart ached at Lady Rhea’s death- there were many things that Edelgard disagreed with her on, but it did not mean that she deserved to die. Lady Rhea told her that the idea of retirement was what sustained her in the dungeon. The idea of living in peace and quiet beyond Fodlan’s constant problems.

Lady Rhea had served as the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros in many forms. She had no real political power as the archbishop. She didn’t lead a country, but she had plenty of soft power. People may not have been in a country for her, but her decision making still had a lot of influence in Fodlan, let alone the Knights of Seiros. They could not take on an army, but if they decided to, they could capture cities.

Retirement would have suited her well, but if it wasn’t for TWSiTD and their last shot at revenge, she would have gotten to experience it. She heard that Flayn and Seteth were planning to leave as well, their grief consuming them. They would need to find another archbishop or decide on the transition for the Church of Seiros and its declining influence on Fodlan.

She keeps focusing on her feet, placing them delicately as she dances to a song from her memory. It’s from her time in Enbarr before the Insurrection. She can see her family now, Hector leading Deirdre in a waltz and their siblings dancing beside them. She raises her hands in the air and spins as her dress flaring out at her waist.

Because Dimitri spared her, she has known peace in ways she didn’t know before. In Fhirdiad, she wondered if she was ever going to go home. Even when at Castle Fraldarius, she wasn’t completely at peace. She was worried about her father and wondered what happened to her family. At Garreg Mach, there was constant tension because of the events of the year and if Hubert would ever reveal her to Ferdinand and the Empire. He wouldn’t but it still kept her up at night. The less said about her time in Enbarr in the past five years, the better. She was counting down the days with her children as the coalition approached Enbarr.

She might be Dimitri’s queen, but he knows that Alexandria and Edward will not be succeeding him. She loves him, but she’s going to protect their children first.

When the song in her mind ends, she stops, slightly dizzy from all the spinning. Her feet stumble as she rebalances herself and she spots Dimitri leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching her with a smile on his face. “You’re so beautiful,” Dimitri remarks quietly, the adoration clear in his eyes. “I don’t know how I was so lucky to fall in love with you.”

Edelgard swallows and steps forward, linking his hands with hers. “I’d say I’m the lucky one,” she responds, standing on her toes to tease Dimitri’s nose with hers. “You chose to keep me alive.” Her heels drop to the floor and she stares into Dimitri’s deep blue eyes calmly. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Dimitri bumps his forehead with hers. “I didn’t- I couldn’t lose you again,” Dimitri mutters, placing a hand on the small of her back. She feels the warm heat as Dimitri pulls her closer. “I couldn’t be the one to do it, not to you.”

Edelgard nods, understanding. She was not able to raise her own hand against Dimitri herself.

She did her best to avoid them on the battlefield. She didn’t know that Thales planned an attack on Garreg Mach during the Millenium Festival, but when she heard about it, she didn’t stop it either. She did not fear Dimitri’s death; he was too strong to die there. She saw him at Gronder Field in the distance, and her heart ached to see him cornered. But Thales was holding her children hostage and even though they lost, she had to return to Enbarr.

She planned to fight to her death in the throne room. If she could make Dimitri hate her enough, he would have no choice to strike her down. But then Thales and his mages transformed her into the Hegemon, and she was barely conscious of her own actions. She could sense them skirting around the edges of the throne room, battling their way towards her, but the chains tied her down. She became something to slaughter.

“Do you want to dance with me?” Edelgard asks quietly, looping her arms around his neck. The last time they danced was on his birthday after both Alexandria and Edward begged her to dance with their father. He still wasn’t very much of a dancer. Edelgard didn’t dance very much either, only when they arrived at Garreg Mach for their preparations. Even though she attended galas and balls at Enbarr as the Emperor, it was not proper for her to dance. She didn’t want to dance with anyone there, anyway.

He nods, and Edelgard leads him to the center of the room. “We don’t have to dance to anything complicated,” Edelgard murmurs, putting her arms around his neck once more. “But I just want to do this.” She leans her head on his chest, hearing his heart thump slowly in his chest. He puts both hands on her hips and they slowly move in circles, their bodies pressed close together.

“I love you,” Edelgard murmurs, her lips brushing against Dimitri’s ears softly. She owes him everything. She never thought she would get to experience this kind of happiness, but she can and it’s because of him.

Dimitri presses his forehead against hers and whispers, “I love you too.” He kisses her hair, so softly that if she didn’t feel his breath brush against her scalp, she wouldn’t have even realized it happened. They don’t dance the night away, but when they get dizzy enough to stop going in circles, they fall asleep against the wall with Edelgard curled up in Dimitri’s lap.


	4. Day 4: Nicknames

They haven’t talked about it. They haven’t talked about who she is since she told him she was one of the princesses of the Empire. Edelgard von Hresvelg. It was still very hard to wrap his head around it. Edelgard von Hresvelg.

In the aftermath of the Tragedy of Kleiman, his father and Lord Rodrigue are very busy. Felix and the others are still in the capital as the council decides on Count Kleiman’s punishment alongside his cohorts. Sylvain, who once, his father realized, was in the meetings with the council, was removed on account of his age.

He’s certain that his father might write to Sylvain’s father, Margrave Gautier, about it; Sylvain is only fifteen. Faerghus doesn’t consider them men until they’re 18. He’s far too young to decide if a man lives or dies.

He’s going to be executed. His father, already crippled by his leg injury, cannot show weakness or mercy. Count Kleiman will most likely be executed within a month or so as El theorizes. He tried to kill his king.

Dimitri’s already woken up screaming, the smell of smoke filling his nostrils. When he wakes up, there is no fire, but he feels like there is. His body is so warm, he sweats profusely, waking up to damp sheets.

But not tonight. El’s sleeping in the same bed as him, curled up on the other side of the bed. He doesn’t have nightmares when he’s with her. He wonders who came up with the name for her- El. He remembers that it was his stepmother who introduced her to them on that strange day.

But El said that his stepmother, her birth mother, left her when she was young. So how did she know her name? He remembers now; it was Lord Arundel who brought her name up. He called her El.

“Dimitri?” El asks quietly, her large purple eyes blinking slowly as she wakes up from her slumber. She rubs her eye with one hand. “What time is it?” She says yawning.

“It’s late,” Dimitri tells her. “I couldn’t sleep, you should go back to sleep.” Or it’s early, actually. The sky is still dark, but he can see the sun peeking out from the mountains. But it’s still way too early for either of them to be awake.

He feels bad. El didn’t seem like she was sleeping well either, and he didn’t want to take away a good night of sleep from her when they were already missing so many.

El shakes her head, rousing her from her exhaustion. “What’s wrong?” El asks, “Why can’t you sleep?”

Dimitri hesitates, his nightmares aren’t too much of a problem right now. He doesn’t have to bring them up to her. One thought never leaves his head. “Where did the name El come from?” He inquires softly and El stiffens, her gaze darting away. “Do you want me to call you Edelgard instead?” Dimitri can’t imagine being called an unfamiliar name. When they were younger, Felix and the others would call him Dima, but they haven’t used it in years.

El holds her gaze with him for a moment before she shakes her head. “You shouldn’t call me Edelgard,” she mutters, getting up from the bed. “If you say it in front of the wrong person, it could cause a lot of trouble for everyone.” She tosses her hair over her shoulder.

“My family used to call me El.” She explains quietly. “It started with Hector, and eventually everyone started to use it.” She rests her chin on her hand. “It was a little weird, getting used to everyone calling me El,” she shakes her head. “Everyone always called me Edelgard at the palace, but when it was just my family, they called me El.”

“You must miss your family,” Dimitri states, squeezing her hand comfortingly. It’s always been him, his father, and stepmother. Felix and the others are sort of an extended family and he’s never kept track of the Imperial family, but even he knows that the Imperial family is quite sizable.

El nods, swallowing. “I do,” she admits. “But they’re gone now.” Dimitri’s blood runs cold, and he squeezes El’s hand once more. All of the Emperor’s children were dead. Even El was reported dead, which explained why she never returned to the Empire, but even Dimitri had to wonder why she left in the first place.

El reads his face easily, “My uncle didn’t think it was safe,” El explains to him slowly. “He got me out of the palace during the chaos of the Insurrection, and he always knew that Patricia was in Faerghus. I don’t know why he never brought me back. He always said that it wasn’t safe.”

Dimitri observes her. “Is he still saying that it isn’t safe for you then?” He asks curiously. The Seven still control the Emperor, but the situation there seems more stable. More stable than the Kingdom presently.

El shrugs. “I haven’t seen him in years,” El responds, flopping onto the bed with a drawn-out sigh. She hesitates, “I think he had a falling out with the King and Patricia. He hasn’t written to me in a while either.”

“And why do you think that?”

El rolls over onto her stomach. “Well, he used to write to me at least once a month,” she blurts. “He always called me sweetling in his letters, but he stopped doing that before he stopped writing... He always promised that he would write to me and then he stopped. So either he’s stopped writing or the letters aren’t getting to me.”

“Do you think he disagreed with my father on something?” Dimitri asks curiously. He spends time with his father every week as his father teaches him how to govern Faerghus. It’s one of the best times of his week and he always looks forward to it.

She shrugs again. “My uncle loves me.” She responds tersely. “I don’t think he’d stop writing to me if he didn’t have a good reason for it.”

Dimitri nods, he had seen Lord Arundel around El. He didn’t think that he could ever behave in such a way with Rufus, who always smelled and wobbled everywhere. “But it’s okay? To call you El?”

El smiles at him gently, squeezing his hand. “It’s more than okay. You’re family, after all.” She pulls the covers over the both of them. “Let’s go back to sleep.”


	5. Day 5: Past

Edelgard is curled comfortably in Dimitri’s lap, her body pressed against his. Even though so much has changed about her, her love for physical contact remains constant. He’s happy about that. He breathes in her hair as she reads a petition from the local nobles in the Alliance. They are concerned about Hilda and the opening of Fodlan’s Locket.

Claude and Hilda assigned it to them because they weren’t biased against the Alliance Lords. As Hilda referred to them, she would call the lords idiots as she read through the petition. Edelgard takes short notes on the petition, noting the language and the demands.

Dimitri reads over her shoulder, noting the interesting language the lords used when addressing Claude. His father will step down soon and he will have to do this work himself, eventually. Edelgard makes a noise in her throat as she pauses in her reading, squinting at the words.

“Everything alright?” Dimitri asks, pressing a kiss to her hairline. Edelgard nods, furrowing her brow. He rests a hand on the small of her back as she concentrates on the petition.

She writes ‘border plans’ in big words on her notes, underlining it. “What’s wrong?” Dimitri inquires, catching up with her in reading. It seems that the nobles are concerned about the present state of Almyra and Fodlan. It’s already been announced that the borders between the three countries will eventually be drawn down. But they ask, will the same thing happen between Almyra and Fodlan?

“Well, Fodlan’s Throat is there, isn’t it?” Dimitri points out. “It acts as a natural border between Almyra and the Alliance, if they’re worried about us becoming one with Almyra...that would take time and better technology.” He remembers it took almost a week to travel across the mountain range that made up Fodlan’s Locket. It would be hard to become a unified country with Almyra with it in the way.

Edelgard nods, writing ‘natural borders’ on her notes. She kisses Dimitri’s cheek gently, continuing to focus on the petition. “They don’t like Claude being in Garreg Mach all the time either,” she remarks calmly. The others had returned to the Alliance after their small wedding, but Claude still remained.

He told all of the Three Houses that he was an Almyran prince and would eventually have to return to Almyra to secure his father’s throne. But he was going to stay in Fodlan for the time being. His father was still in good health, as it were.

Ferdinand and Hubert have been working in Enbarr, keeping things under control. Count Bergliez and Count Hvering have been released from their house arrest and have been quite helpful when it came to keeping the Empire under control. Bernadetta and Raphael are in Varley County, but Bernadetta has no interest in serving the government. She’s only there to make sure that Varley continues its regular output of lumber and minerals for the rest of Fodlan.

“He should visit the Alliance from time to time, shouldn’t he?” Dimitri notes quietly. His father has returned to Fhirdiad. They are still deciding if he should be crowned at Garreg Mach or in Fhirdiad. Edelgard is leaning towards Fhirdiad because as she notes, it’s not a monarchy they are trying to start but a cabinet.

“He should,” Edelgard notes, writing something down. She glances at him, “You should go visit Fhirdiad as well. Take the children with you. The people will be excited to see them.”

“And what about you?” Dimitri asks. He knows that Edelgard still isn’t comfortable with her newfound role in Fodlan. The people consider her to be a hero, saving Rhea in Enbarr and for her actions on the Talitean Plains. “The people will be excited to see you as well.”

El was not known to the common folk. They knew he had a fiancee by the name of El von Arundel like their Queen, but nothing more. What she and Sylvain did was never revealed to the people of Faerghus. They simply knew that Edelgard von Hresvelg was the former Emperor and his now-wife. The appearance of Alexandria and Edward would be a welcome sight to the Kingdom but El was hidden away in the palace.

Edelgard hesitates, the tip of the quill creating an inkblot on the parchment. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dimitri.” She blinks but continues her notes. She’s been to Fhirdiad before and she saw the cheering crowds for her and Dimitri, but still, she hesitates. “I’m sure there’s a lot of resentment for my part in the war.”

Dimitri wraps an arm around her waist, kissing her shoulder. “You were coerced,” he murmurs gently. “Don’t place guilt on yourself for something out of your control.”

Edelgard pulls away, “People died under my command,” she responds quietly. “People died because I wanted my children to be free.” She shakes her head, “There are hundreds of families torn apart because I had selfish goals.”

Dimitri squeezes her hands, “Fodlan is a better place because of you. You helped shine a light on TWSiTD. If not under you, then they would have started another war, an even bloodier one. You did your best to end the war quickly, and you were able to root out their bases. You’re helping lead Fodlan to a brighter future. I don’t think there’s much more you could have done, El.”

Edelgard swallows and presses her forehead against his. “Thank you for everything, Dimitri.” She murmurs, bumping her nose against his cheek as she kisses him softly. “I love you.”

Dimitri nuzzles her neck, kissing it briefly. “Let the past be the past, Edelgard,” he says calmly. “We have a bright future to look forward to and you should be there to see it. Come to Faerghus with me. Let the people see their queen. I love you.”

Edelgard nods, “We can plan the progress around the wedding,” she notes quietly. They had their private ceremony, but Dimitri still needed to be crowned as King and having half of Fodlan being invited to their wedding. It would be a good time to present Edelgard to the rest of Fodlan as his Queen and the children as well.


	6. Day 6: Mercy

It’s over a conversation with Claude when Edelgard realizes that Dimitri doesn’t know. He’s frowning over breakfast as he and Claude exchange words, and as she focuses on trying to make Alexandria eat spinach, she only catches glimpses of words.

"No sign of them anywhere,” Dimitri sighs, looking over a hastily scrawled report that Claude quickly showed him.

Not a trace,” Claude nods, he runs a hand through his hair. “It’s like they disappeared completely.” He sighs, shaking his head. “We figured the Red Queen was just a cover anyway, didn’t we? It’s not as if they’re an actual person.” Edelgard stills, her fork hovering in front of Alexandria’s face. Edward sits contently next to his sister, munching on the green leaves. Alexandria’s always been the more stubborn one.

But did they not know? Ingrid figured it out, and Edelgard always assumed that she would tell Dimitri and the others.

The Red Queen was a decision made by her. Hubert argued against it, citing the many ways in which it could have gone wrong and it could have. If TWSiTD ever heard of what she was doing, the repercussions would have been severe. But she risked it.

Cornelia was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She could not risk King Lambert’s life. And it was part of a taunt that Thales threw at her, stating that even if the coalition was able to seize Arianrhod and Ft. Merceus, they would meet their doom there. Of course, she never expected that kind of weaponry, but it was worth the risks.

When she finally coaxes Alexandria into finishing her plate, Claude has already left. Dimitri helps her with Alexandria, who lives to please Dimitri. Edward is no longer as reluctant as he used to be around Dimitri, but it’s Alexandria who’s opened up to him.

“Can we go play, mama?” Edward asks, tugging on her sleeve. Edelgard catches Fleche’s eye, who nods, signaling that she’s finished her own breakfast.

“Of course,” Edelgard responds quickly. “But we’ll be starting lessons in two hours, so I expect you both to be at the pavilion, alright?” They both nod and dash off, leaving Dimitri and Edelgard to finish their meals.

Dimitri slots his hand against hers warmly, and they go on their morning walk. They will have training together once they finish digesting their breakfast, but for now, they’ll walk together.

“Everything alright?” Dimitri asks curiously, noticing the look on her face. “Is something the matter?”

Edelgard lifts her head to look at him, chewing on her lip. “I have something I need to tell you.” She guides him to a bench and sits him down. She’s strong enough to carry him, but that doesn’t mean she wants to if he falls over.

Edelgard exhales, screwing up her nose. She didn’t mean to keep it a secret, she just assumed that he knew already. “So- you and Claude are looking for someone called the Red Queen?” She asks, prodding the issue open.

Dimitri nods. “We think they were someone in league with TWSiTD,” he says calmly. “They provided us with a great deal of important information but there’s been no trace of them since Ft. Merceus was destroyed.” He tilts his head questioningly, “Why do you ask?”

Edelgard makes a noise deep in her throat, coughing slightly. No time like the present. “You won’t be finding them,” she mentions offhandedly. “Because I was the Red Queen.”

Dimitri stares. He gapes at her. Edelgard winces, looking at his aghast expression. She really did not mean for this to go on for so long. She was wondering if Hubert had told Ferdinand even.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” Edelgard murmurs, sitting down on the bench with him, his eyes still following her.

“I learned information about Cornelia,” she states calmly, “And I was going to try to pass it along to you at the Millenium Festival.” She had worried about the Millenium Festival for months. She almost wore a hole in the ground with all of her pacing. How would Dimitri and the others react? She wanted to see them, but with TWSiTD running everything, she wouldn’t have much of an opportunity. She didn’t even know that they sent an army after her.

“And I threw a javelin at your carriage,” Dimitri murmurs, looking down. Edelgard nods. Thank the goddess she had been on the other side of the carriage and could grab Hubert out of the way. Hubert expected a vehement reaction, she didn’t.

“So I had to find another way to get it to you,” Edelgard murmurs. Cornelia had been a friend of Patricia. She had seen her around the palace often. It surprised her to learn that Cornelia was one of the Agarthan agents, but then again, they could shape-shift and they could mimic their targets well. “The Great Bridge of Myrddin was never going to hold. Gloucester cared more about his land and Acheron couldn’t lead his way out of a rucksack. I knew the Coalition would capture it once you had your armies established. I was in Ft. Merceus overseeing renovations.”

“Why the name the Red Queen?” Dimitri asks curiously, rubbing his thumb across her hand. He isn’t upset as Edelgard watches him.

“From one of my stories from my time in the Empire,” Edelgard answers gently, “I read it when I was a child and the name always stuck with me. I thought you knew.” She admired the woman who inspired the name. She did what she could to protect her son, even at a young age. It resonated with her, especially now.D

Dimitri raises a brow, shaking his head. “I’m glad you told me,” he murmurs, kissing her temple. “But how would I have known?”

“I thought Ingrid or Glenn would have told you,” Edelgard confesses sheepishly. “They knew a long time ago.”

Dimitri does a double-take. “Wait, really?” He stares at her, wide-eyed.

Edelgard nods, slowly. “Ingrid had me pegged from the beginning,” she mentions off-handedly. She does hope that she’s not getting Ingrid or Glenn in trouble. “I recommended the book to her when we were teenagers,” she informs him. “She never got her hands on it until you captured Enbarr.” She squeezes his hands with a wry smile. “She found it in the library.”

Dimitri shakes his head, laughing. “Claude will be surprised,” he muses gently. “That’s one mystery solved, I suppose.” He kisses her cheek. “Another will be who sent the gift of supplies to Lord Acheron at the Great Bridge of Myrddin.”

Edelgard stares at him. Did Claude not tell him either? How many secrets were being kept from Dimitri? “About that…”


	7. Day 7: Tears

“Dimitri…” Edelgard shakes him away and he can feel wetness on his face. She looks worried as he wipes away the tears from his eyes. He can’t remember what he was dreaming about, but it must not have been pleasant. “Are you alright?” She whispers. It’s still dark out. He must have woken her from her sleep. He swallows, Edelgard is a deep sleeper. It must have been really bad to wake her.

He nods, he tends not to have nightmares by her side. At least, not ones that he can remember. “I’m sorry I woke you,” he apologizes quietly, pulling her back down to sleep. “You should go back to bed.”

She shakes her head, resisting. “You were saying something in your sleep,” she insists gently. She hesitates, looking at him. “Do you still dream about Patricia?” He stills under her gaze.

His stepmother was a frequent visitor in his dreams. She screamed at him, blaming him for Edelgard’s disappearance, her death. She shouted at him for his lack of control. It was his fault for everything.

Dimitri wets his lips before he nods. “I do,” he confesses nervously. He knows that Edelgard was far from close to Patricia, never was. He was most likely closer to his stepmother than Edelgard was. It was no one’s fault, just the cards they were given. “She still appears in my dreams, in my nightmares.” He murmurs, calling for her killer’s deaths.

He hesitates, “She’s never very pleasant either.” That was an understatement. He didn’t see her at the Tragedy of Kleiman, but the figure that appeared in his dreams wore a white dress and was covered in blood. And she was always shrieking.

Count Kleiman was executed all those years ago, but Dimitri knew that someone else had to be involved. It could have been TWSiTD, but they never confirmed it. He never found the answer to his stepmother’s disappearance.

Edelgard squeezes his hand comfortingly, crawling into his lap, her legs thrown over his thigh. She wraps her arms around his neck, nuzzling his shoulder. “I asked Thales about her,” she mentions, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

“He laughed at me and said that she was ‘collateral damage’. I threw a plate at him and he pinned me to the wall by my throat.” A snarl dies in his throat. He’s a thousand times grateful that Edelgard executed him without a thought. He would have done far worse.

Dimitri freezes when she speaks, but she continues, shaking her head. “I think she died at the Tragedy of Kleiman,” she states calmly. “I’m not sure what happened to her body. Maybe they were planning to use it against you, I’m not sure. But they were trying to destabilize the Kingdom... and capture me.”

She meets his eyes hesitantly, her eyes darting away once they meet. “We got the news a few months before that my last brother, Roderick, died. That means... they ran out of my siblings to experiment on. They knew I was in Fhirdiad. Thales tortured the information out of my uncle before he took his place. Their plan was always to kill King Lambert to disrupt the Kingdom, but I was just a bonus.”

Dimitri sits in silence as he digests her words carefully. He had no hopes about Patricia being alive all this time but to receive confirmation- well; it felt like hearing she had died all over again. He and El had their theories about the Tragedy of Kleiman, that it couldn’t have just been Kingdom nobles taking part.

“They really caused all our troubles then,” Dimitri remarks, somberly. Although dramatic, the more Dimitri learned about them, the more the name Hubert gave suited them. They slithered in the dark, manipulating Fodlan the entire time. And no one knew about them until Edelgard and Hubert shined a light on all of their machinations.

Edelgard shakes her head. “Some of it was human greed, yes.” She agrees, “But it couldn’t have been done without them.”

“Arundel wanted you to return to Enbarr before the Tragedy, correct?” Dimitri hums, thinking back to their nights after the Tragedy of Kleiman where Edelgard lay bare all of her secrets. “That was the plan.” They spent long nights during Kleiman’s trial, sharing all the information they could. During those exhausting weeks, there were no secrets between them.

Edelgard blinks and then nods. “I wasn’t supposed to stay in the Kingdom,” Edelgard says calmly. “The plan was for me to return to the Empire, eventually.” Dimitri bumps his forehead against hers and she smiles softly.

“Then your siblings, they started to die,” Dimitri says hesitantly and Edelgard nods. “So you didn’t go back.” They kept all of this a secret from him. He doesn’t blame his stepmother or his father for that. Edelgard was a princess from the Empire. If anyone learned about her, they could have ruined everything- started a war over her.

Edelgard shrugs, “They started to die,” she repeats. “Patricia didn’t feel that it was safe for me,” she mentions. “Neither did King Lambert.” She shakes her head. “They weren’t wrong.” Dimitri nods, it was hard to imagine his stepmother allowing Edelgard to return to the Empire.

Knowing what he knew now, the death of the children in the Imperial Family looked even more suspicious than they did back then. Most theorized it was the work of the Prime Minister at the time, Ferdinand’s father. Obviously, there was something more sinister at work.

Despite their distance, it was clear that his stepmother still loved Edelgard. His father would have wanted to keep her happy. And it was hard to imagine his father allowing her to return to a place that didn’t seem safe, even for the Imperial family.

“I wonder what it would have been like if you did go back,” Dimitri muses. If she did go back, then TWSiTD would have gotten their hands on her much sooner. They would have experimented on her. Would she have lived? Her hair would have been the same white as Lysithea. Would she have remembered him? Would they have been able to be happy like this? “What would have changed?”

Edelgard shivers, “Perish the thought.” He doesn’t like that thought either. He doesn’t know what he would do without her.


	8. Day 8: Forgiveness

Edelgard rests her chin on her knees as she sits in front of Lady Rhea’s tomb. They had her publicly buried in the monastery, but eventually had her moved to the Holy Mausoleum. She already secured permission from Seteth to be here. She’s here usually once a month, reflecting on her time with Lady Rhea in the dungeons.

Those were long days in the dungeons. When she was recovering from the experiments, Lady Rhea would sing her the Nabateans Song, granting her a bit of strength to survive the Crest Implantation. Her body burned with the Crest of Flames, but every day, Lady Rhea would sing for her even at her detriment, even when she suffered.

Edelgard did not agree with her on many things, but she didn’t deserve to die like that. She should have had a peaceful retirement. Their time in the dungeon bonded them together through pain and misery. Even as TWSiTD’s experiments on Lady Rhea ramped up, Edelgard came to the dungeons weekly to give her some of her own strength.

The door opens, and Edelgard turns her head. It’s Dimitri, “Seteth said I would find you here,” he says as a way of explanation. He looks at Lady Rhea’s tomb up and down, bowing in respect. He lowered himself to the ground, sitting next to her. “Are you alright?”

Edelgard shrugs, looking at the tomb. “Just wondering if I could have done more for her,” she murmurs, putting her head on Dimitri’s shoulder, pressed against his side. “She deserved better than this.” She should have gone with her to fight. Lady Rhea was still recovering from her time, she wasn’t at full strength. He had defeated Lord Holst with ease, Lady Rhea hadn’t seen active combat in decades. She should have been there.

“You killed her murderer,” Dimitri answers thoughtfully. “What more could you have done for?” He snakes an arm around her shoulder, squeezing it with his broad hand. “You spent a long time with her.” He notes gently. She reaches for his hand, tangling their fingers together.

“Almost three years.” The first year, she was pregnant and Lady Rhea helped her through the birth, having been at many births at the monastery. The second year, TWSiTD began the Crest Implantation process, taking several weeks to bear fruit. In the third year, she was recovering from the experiments. Her body was weak and damaged by them cutting in her flesh.

In that time, Lady Rhea kept her spirits up by telling her stories of the past, dating back 1000 years. Her stories kept the days short as time began to stretch. There was no sign of time passing in the dungeon, only constant darkness. They could only tell when days passed when their captors arrived with their food or when Hubert quickly whispering what day, month, and year it was.

In those years, the truth came out between the two of them. She confessed that she was a Hresvelg princess. Lady Rhea confirmed Wilhelm’s legacy, as she was Saint Seiros of the past. They had no secrets between them. She even told her what she had done to Professor Byleth when they were born. Why they had the Crest of Flames and could bear the Sword of the Creator. She would take some of Lady Rhea’s secrets to her grave. She wouldn’t pass on the Hresvelg stories to her children. “It felt so short and yet an eternity sometimes.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t go looking for you,” Dimitri murmurs in her hair. Edelgard turns and stares at him, surprised by his words. “I should have looked for you. I shouldn’t have given up hope.” He avoids her gaze, keeping his face buried in her hair.

“I-what?” Edelgard says aghast. How would Dimitri have known what she did? Even before she saw Hubert, she did not understand what she was doing other than surviving past that day. “Dimitri, you need not be sorry about that. You couldn’t have known-”

“No one found your body,” Dimitri cuts her off. “I should have had hope. I should have looked for you.” His deep blue eyes pierce through hers as his guilt sinks in with her. He couldn’t have known.

She looks at him with pitying eyes. He knew that she went with Hubert. She confessed it while drunk months ago. It wasn’t his fault. It was nobody’s fault but hers. She took Hubert’s hand. She made that choice. She cups his cheek firmly, looking into his eyes. Her Alexandria’s eyes.

“By the time you would have learned I was gone, I was already on my way to Enbarr,” Edelgard notes quietly. “I would have been deep behind the Empire lines. It was foolish of me, thinking that I could slip into Enbarr undetected.” She bumps her forehead against his, smiling sorrowfully. “That’s not your fault Dimitri, if you should blame anyone, it should be me.” Tears begin to well up at the corner of her eyes.

Dimitri shakes his head. “You wanted to see your father,” he argues. “That was not foolish of you, wanting to see him.” Edelgard’s heart drops to the pit of her stomach at the mention of her father. She never did get to see him. He died before she recovered from the Blood Reconstruction surgery.

“Then we both acted appropriately then,” Edelgard says with finality as she leans against his chest. He pulls her into his lap, holding her close. She strokes his hair, running her hand through the blonde locks. “Then there’s no forgiveness needed between us.”

Dimitri nods, his head buried into her shoulder. She brushes her lips across his temple. She’s constantly reminded how lucky she is that Dimitri chose to love her.

“We should go back up,” she says after a moment of silence. “The children will be wondering where we are.” It’s the middle of the day and she just finished teaching the twins how to read. She’s been reading stories to them for months, but now they’re learning the letters.

He looks up at Lady Rhea’s tomb. “I think she’s happy,” Dimitri murmurs as Edelgard holds his hand close. “I think she’s at peace.”


	9. Day 9: Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! This was a free day and I was planning sex but decided against it. This is a starter chapter for Swan Princess, an AU I plan to complete some day.

Edelgard watches her servants pack her things for the summer. “Father,” she tries to leave the whine out of her voice. “But why? I’d rather spend the summer here with you and the others.”

Her father ruffles her hair, smiling. He kneels, hugging her. “I know, El.” He murmurs gently, “But your mother wants to get to know you.”

She pouts, looking away. She’s ten, and she doesn’t even know her mother. She left the Empire before Edelgard could even remember her, and now she wants to get to know her? It isn’t fair. She wraps her arms around her father, pressing her cheek against his, whispering. “You’re still my favorite.”

Ionius sighs, bumping his forehead against hers. “It’s just two months, Edelgard. You’ll be back before you know it.” Her mother’s name was Patricia, and she lived in the Kingdom of Faerghus as its queen, having married King Lambert there. She has a stepson who is Edelgard’s age, Prince Dimitri.

She’s met Dimitri once or twice during political summits at Garreg Mach, and he strikes her as a real bore. He doesn’t know how to dance and he doesn’t like to read. All he knows is how to fight.

Hector raps his knuckles against her door frame. “You ready to go, little princess?” He teases with a soft smile. His father presses a kiss to her hair before letting her go. Hector will escort her to Fhirdiad, even though he’s the Crown Prince. A sign of respect for the exchange.

“No,” Edelgard says spitefully. She’s the only one that has to go. All of her other siblings get to stay in Enbarr with each other, and she’ll be all alone in Faerghus with people she doesn’t like.

Hector shakes his head, “Come on.” He swings her up into his arms as she shrieks playfully. His father watches them both, smiling. The servants have already started moving her things to the carriage. Now soon she’ll be there too, leaving Enbarr. All of her siblings have already made their personal goodbyes, but they’ll be there to watch her leave. “Maybe you’ll like it in Faerghus, King Lambert is a good man.”

Edelgard scrunches up her nose. “I’ve heard it’s cold there,” she points out. “And that the food isn’t very good.” She looks at Hector expectantly. He squired with her uncle, Volkhard von Arundel- it was how their father met her mother- and Arundel Castle sat on the border between the Empire and the Kingdom. He got to experience some of the Kingdom’s cuisine while he was there.

Hector hesitates, “It’s different,” he says reluctantly. “The Kingdom likes their food in a different manner.”

Kieran pipes in, “He means to say that it’s bland.” He grins mischievously. Kieran squired in Fhirdiad himself under a man by the name of Baron Dominic. He’ll escort her to Faerghus as well. She tried to get him to stay, but he won’t be able to.

Hector stares at him flatly. “You’re not helping.” Kieran grins as they descend the stairs.

When they reach the courtyard, all of her siblings are there. Castor and Katarina throw themselves at her, sobbing. They’ve always been together, as Edelgard is only a couple of years older than the two of them. “I’ll miss you.”

Edelgard sniffles, feeling tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She doesn’t want to leave. Deirdre strokes her hair, handing her a book and a box of things. “A journal for you,” Astrid explains, “And extra envelopes and parchment so you can write letters.” She lowers her head to whisper in her ear. “There are also some cookies that Isadora baked in there too. You don’t need to share with Kieran or Hector.”

Edelgard starts to bawl, and that sets everyone off, even her older brothers. She’s still crying when they load her into the carriage. She turns, pushing the curtains aside to wave goodbye to her family. She won’t see them for another two months, which feels like forever.

* * *

Dimitri swings his legs, waiting for the arrival of Princess Edelgard. His stepmother made him get up early for this. He faintly remembers Princess Edelgard, he knows her older brother Prince Kieran better. He was a skilled fighter, and he and Glenn always had a small rivalry against each other. Patricia mentioned there was a chance that her daughter would be escorted by him.

He glances at his stepmother, who smiles at him nervously, squeezing his father’s hand. It took almost a year of negotiations for Emperor Ionius to relent his hold on his daughter, allowing her to visit his stepmother in almost ten years. She's been in Faerghus for years, but to Dimitri, it felt like she had been there forever.

Her voice gasps when they spot the standard of the Adrestian Empire in the distance, the two-headed eagle embroidered in gold on a red cloth. She stands up as the carriage draws nearer and nearer. He does see Prince Kieran as well as someone else, an older man with light brown hair and brown eyes dressed in royal attire.

He glances at his father expectantly. “That’d be Crown Prince Hector,” his father explains, murmuring to him. His back stiffens as they come closer and closer.

They come to a halt as the Royal Guard stops and both princes dismount from their horses with a thud. “Your majesties,” Crown Prince Hector bows, as does Prince Kieran. “It is good to see you both well.” His voice is low and Crown Prince spares a small smile for Dimitri when he straightens his back.

Prince Kieran grins at him and knocks his hand against the carriage before he opens the door. A small pale hand reaches out of the carriage, grasping Prince Kieran’s hand as Princess Edelgard exits the carriage calmly, her light purple eyes piercing through Dimitri first and then his parents. She has the same color eyes as his stepmother.

She raises her chin and looks away. “May I introduce Princess Edelgard?” Crown Prince Hector announces, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looks back at them and dips into a curtsey before rising again, unsmiling.

His father smiles, placing his own hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “This is my son, Prince Dimitri.” He bumps his knee into Dimitri’s back, pushing him forward.

Dimitri bows, lowering his head. “It is nice to meet you, Princess Edelgard.”

“Likewise, Prince Dimitri,” her voice is soft and low. Dimitri swallows, looking her in the eyes. His father gives him a small encouraging nod, and he reaches for her hand and kisses her gently on the fingers.

Princess Edelgard rips her hand out of his fingers, glaring at him. Dimitri hears Crown Prince Hector smack his forehead. This isn’t going to be a fun summer.


End file.
